Opinions on flybridge yachts 50 feet

azimut versus other brands

dear alex,

i had a 40' azimut and then a 53' and 68' ferretti boats. ferretti a better boat than azimut both in build quality and design parameters. a number of my friends had english boats. sunseeker kind of azimut of the british. very attractive exterior design (though neither present azimuts nor sunseekers are my taste) but relatively poor quality, especially in places where you do not see.

fairline is a bit better than princess in build quality and i see that they have been improving their interiors as well.

however, if you are not strictly after one of these well known brands, i am sure you can have boats at least at par in quality and much more favorable in price from other builders as well.

Alex, I'm in a very similar position to you, and I've asked similar questions on this forum before (without too much response). I just want you to be aware that some people on these forums have selected a brand and spent considerable money on that brand, and probably have a slanted perspective on what's good and what's not. I say this lightly and only for your own consideration.
I say it NOT to depreciate what anyone has to say. I recommend considering everyone's opinions, as they might be right! Overall, from what I can tell, it appears there's a LOT of subjectivity in opinions about the brands. Hopefully, enough people will contribute their experiences and opinions, and some patterns will arise that might demonstrate some truth!

I want to clarify my above statement. I mean everything I said, but I'll say this about Nilo - I didn't meant to single him out and after communicating with him through private messages, he has a lot of experience and knowledge behind his responses. I'm grateful he's here to share his thoughts.

Cranchi and Uniesse have flybridges in this size. How do they stack up against Azimut?

Kelly Cook

Hi Alex,

I just bought a 2007 Fairline Phantom 48. I bought the flagship boat which is the very first P48 to be built and was used as their show boat. The Fairline P48 will be the replacement of the Phantom 50. The boat has an exquisite modern interior and the exterior is also great. The interior finishing is impeccable. She has three front cabins, 2 double rooms and one twin bed (bunk) room apart from the rear crew cabin with a single bed, toilet and sink.
The boat is great in every detail.
I had posted pictures before on the forum of my boat. Check the following link: http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/f...tures-my-fairline-phantom-48-a.html#post38453

Best regards,

Tarek

yachts

I have run, Azimut, Ferretti, Sunseeker and Princess yachts in the past ranging from 47-90ft and if I could say one was better than the other I would..... but I can't. They are all good at what they are meant for and built in the way to suit the design brief. My favourites were the Sunseeker as the engineering was somewhat better that the others, and the Princess for it's slightly more timeless design, but thats my opinion.
Another yacht I ran was a Dominator 65 which I covered near 2000 miles in the year on-board. Although there were some design flaws, she was a nice yacht, that had performance that matched her looks. http://www.dominator.it/

The Uniesse is a very well built boat that you should take a look at.

I am upgrading by the end of this year to a Fairline Squadron 78. If you are interested in my Phantom 48, let me know.

Regards,

TK

brand loyal

There is some proof in the pudding for Fairline.

If someone is brand loyal then surely they have had good experience with the yacht.

Dear Alex,

Sorry have over looked your comments. I can recommend the Turkish Numarine (http://www.************/); Vicem (http://www.vicemyacht.com/) is also building very good quality, but could be a retro design, not to everbody's liking. Rodman (http://www.rodman.es) could also be a brand to look into, although again the styling may not be as attractive as the Azimut. They are selling value at the prices they offer the boats. Uniesse Marine (http://www.uniesse.it/) also building good quality boats. I can also propose Mulder (http://www.jachtwerfmulder.nl)
who build aluminium semi custom boats. Lastly, due to cheap U.S.dollar Marquis Yachts (http://international.marquisyachts.com), which is build by Carver, (as to my knowledge the hulls are based on previous Mochi Craft molds) could be an option.

Nilo

your phantom 48

dear Tarek, I have just read an old post of yours (2007) and you bought a new phantom. I am in New Zealand and replacing my Azimut 46. I have a few questions I would like to ask re the Fairline 48. We tend to drive downstairs most of the time as colder down here. It is very important to me that the visibility is really good from the downstairs helm. I sat in one at the sydney boat show and the windscreen did'nt seem to be very high. ( the azimut is great) Looking ahead you could'nt see much of the sky. It just seemed the windsceen needed to be higher. The salesman said as soon as you get going the visibility is good.as the bow rises. My question is, what about really slow cruising at idle speed 3 - 5 knots, how did you find it, did you have to crouch down to see out. I am fairly tall so it is a concern. also when the boat is up one the plane do you have good visibility then. With the azimut its better if one sits on a cushion to get a good view over the bow when onb the plane. How do you find it. Another question is did you find the lapping of the water was quiter in the centre cabin. On the azimut the lapping noise sounds pretty much the same in either the front or centre cabin. I would love you to share anything else you can I as dont kn ow anyone else that has one, Tell me all you can, I would really appreciate it. Have you still got your 48. even if not I'm sure you will be able to help me. many thanks Evan

Alex,
Can I ask what year Azimut 46 you have? Bummer to hear about the Azumut quality though I've read it in other blogs. I really like the 53S they are debuting and wonder if their quality is better these days than 5-10 years ago.
Thanks,

I managed a 2004 50' Azimut and it had it's share of Azimut issues........Viking SC/Princess have their share of issues (electrical and a tight engine room. As does Feretti, although the 59' Feretti is very spacious and runs nice with the 1050 MANS......Sunseeker would be my last choice of the ones mentioned....

I would recommend a 63/64' Hatteras MY, a 58' Searay is a fairly nice running boat, Neptunus builds a nice FBMY and the 62 or 63' is a good running hull. Fairline also builds a pretty nice boat. It's going to be hard to find the type of staterooms/bunks in a 50' MY.......

I'd really start looking at some of the SF's.....very similar to a FBMY, ride A LOT nicer, faster, and built better and more seaworty...... the 2001 or Newer 50' Viking has what you're looking for in staterooms/bunks..... and cruises at 34 knots..........The 52' Cabo SF or 48', Hatteras 54' SF is also a great riding boat......why get stuck with a FBMY, when you can cruise with a more comfortable ride, stronger build quality, and more speed..... and stability at slow speeds......You could put a cockpit cover, a nice aft deck table, a dinghy on the bow, etc etc......

Haven't seen one yet that wasn't pretty much junk. Choose the one with the best parts/service support network in your operating area. Most of them are made with the same parts though, so look at the layout and features that suit your liking the best. Also go into the engine room with the consideration of servicing things, because that'll have a bit to do with your future service expenses. When you drop down in the 61' Princess/Viking Sport cruiser, you'll see that the man hour costs of doing any service will be high (and potential quality problems) because of how tight everything is.